Quote:
Originally Posted by EvanB
Casual;
I'm sort of fascinated by your suggested approach.
I've considered the Manzer Wedge but wondered if that would compensate for what I consider the big problem--sound board stiffness. Journey offers the wedge in its CF classical guitar but I need to hear more from people who have played it.
I like the suggested volume measurements. The 7 & 10 electrics and my 10 and 20 acoustics have given me a pretty good range of the volume I can handle. The Manzer Wedge may displace volume in a way that enhances projection, but then I'm back to wondering if the Manzer can compensate for soundboard stiffness.
I would be interested in Alistair's take on the Manzer.
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Hi Evan.
Since the Manzer design works well with very thin pieces of tonewoods glued to make a monocoque I doubt that it would be a problem using the much much more rigid carbon cloth reinforced epoxy materials.
If you think about it from a simplified and abstract perspective: Emerald guitars already deliver a mini Manzer effect though the deep upper rib bevels.
The simplified idea based on Emerald standard designs is to imagine X10, X20 and X30 models that are Manzered with sufficient thinness under the picking arm and quite wide at the thigh to achieve the soundbox air volume target. (Dunno of the thin side needs to be as thin as your X10 electric).
Each adventure to Emerald takes a loooog time for a regular semi-custom guitar and the extra steps needed for an Evan radical version takes a loooooooooong time.
So it's worth setting a good target and objectives for each adventure.
The 'experiment' part of my suggestion is to do tactile evaluations at the Evan hacienda to narrow the possibilities to a size and shape and air volume target to guide the maestro to a layout that is Evan specific.
My description above was focused on bulking up a playable guitar which would allow dynamic evaluations.
À super simple alternative would be start the experiment with a series of body shapes carved from layered styrene house insulation.
À more realistic simple model to evaluate the combination of body and neck would be to experiment using a classical guitar neck or electric guitar bolt-on neck (very inexpensive from Internet suppliers).
Since the neck needs to be anchored you might as well evaluate with strings by attaching the neck and bridge to 18" of fir 2x4. Use this core and slabs of foam insulation to build a series of prototype.
Given the typical time lag between the order and the building of the modified mold you could start with the minimum amount of experimentation needed to establish initial parameters (ie based on X10 or X20 or X30).
Then while waiting for the date Emerald starts to make the mold you could tinker to establish final specs.
What is the Ramirez soundbox air volume?
I wonder why all the full size classical guitars I've played seem to have approx the same body dimensions and I wasn't able to find any with a bigger body? Is there a sweet spot to get good tone or do complexities of the classical style train the hands to expect a specific layout?
BTW: If I were curious enough to do this experiment I'd likely add a step where I'd Manzer one or two inexpensive wood guitars replacing the back(s) with thin model builder's plywood ( I'm thinking about a Cort jumbo). If done carefully it would still be suitable to donate to a needy teen.
Radical is us. Haha.
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